Q - I recently moved into a house where there are no established beds for gardening. I want to begin growing a few new things each year, and need to start new beds. I plan to use raised beds, but wonder if there are any sources in the northern Cincinnati area that will provide compost or mulch for free. In the past, I have read of several communities that collect yard waste, and then allow people to come and carry away the resulting compost. Help!

A - Each community has its own waste disposal program, so I would suggest contacting the city administrator's office first, or perhaps there is a county solid waste district that offers such a recycling service.  One disadvantage of a source like that is that you don't know what kind of yard chemicals you're getting since many city dwellers subscribe to a lawn chemical service.  Another source for mulch would be a sawmill.

Q -  I have access to lots of wood shavings to use as mulch on my vegetable garden, but in the past have had bad luck with it sucking the nitrogen out as it decomposes. What can I do to remedy this situation and are some types of shavings better than others? Should I use softwood or hardwood shavings?

A - Using the wood shavings on your vegetable garden will indeed cause a nitrogen deficiency, which will cause the plants to turn an unhealthy color and not produce well.  First of all you should have your soil analyzed, and since planting time is around the corner you need to do that very soon.  That will show you what the pH level of your soil is.  It is possible that, depending on the kind of wood shavings you have used, the pH level has changed and may not be ideal for what you are wanting to grow.  It will show, too, the nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium levels in your soil, and that will help you to know what and how much to add.   I don't think it makes any difference whether you use softwood or hardwood shavings, although I would expect hardwood to decompose more slowly.  In any event, if you continue to use wood shavings you will need to compensate for the nitrogen loss by adding an additional amount of nitrogen to the soil  

Q - About the wood shavings question, I would just like to add to your response the fact that Black Walnut shavings are poisonous to many plants and veggies. It would be wise to warn against their use. -- from R. M.

A - On several occasions I have cautioned against planting within 50 feet of a walnut tree, but I did not make any reference to walnut bark in connection with the question about using bark mulch on the vegetable garden.  It is actually the roots of the walnut tree that produce the chemical, juglone, which will make the soil toxic to some plants for up to three years after the tree itself is destroyed. For those of us with walnut trees and squirrels on our property, it takes constant vigilance to protect our garden location from sprouting walnut trees.  However, to be certain that your veggies aren't going to be poisoned by the bark mulch you use, it would be safer to use newspapers or cardboard with straw on top.